Depth measuring device for oil well equipment



F. L. LE BUS Dec. 13, 1938..

DEPTH MEASURING DEVICE FOR OIL WELL EQUIPMENT Filed Dec. 4, 1936 4 z f w a Y\\\\\\ r a 96;; i 2/\\ am l f A MNM @21| 7 5 j d 0 6 8 5. a a mi 4 0 www/AL \1 Ui ATTORNEY.

lPatented Dec. 13, 193,8

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DEPTH MEASURING DEVICE Fon on. WELL EQUTPMENT 2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in well drilling appliances generally and more particularly to a type of the same for facilitating the lowering of a drill pipe string downwardly in 5 the bore of a well, and for measuring the depth of the hole, without removal from the drill pipe string,

The present invention further relates to a well drilling appliance covered by Letters Patent No.

1,871,536, issued to the applicant August 16, 1932. In said patent the appliance consists of a novel valve construction adapted to' lessen the strain on the well rig cable and the drum brakes, obtained by the closing of the valve, brought about by the pressure of up-ow of water and the like when the pipe string is lowered in the well bore and thereby tending to oat the pipe string and relieve the strain referred to. The valve also has for an object to permit the passage of an explov sive charge below the valve to loosen a stuck drill bit or pipe string section.

In said former Patent No. 1,871,536 the tubu-v lar valve body to which the valve is swingably attached and under pressure and stress, frequently becomes loose, moving slightly upwardly or downwardly.

It is therefore one of the objects of this invention to provide means to stop leakage around the tubular valve body during such movements, by

a change in and addition to the structure embodied in said appliance.

Another object of the invention is the provision of means for opening and closing said valve from a point above the ground surface or at the well rig for the purpose of ascertaining the depth of the hole being drilled and this without the removal of the operative valve. In this mode of operation the pipe string With the valve arrangement can be oated inthe manner heretofore explained and a plumb bob and measuring' line can be passed through the string of drill pipe and through the valve down to the top of the drill bit. After such measurement has been made, the-measuring line can be withdrawn jthrough the Valve. In the meantime, the valve itself has been held open for the downward and upward passage of the measuring line by a device forming part of the improvement and hereinafter described in detail. 'Ihe valve then closes and is again ready for further drilling operations.

It is the common practice in Well boring to place the ordinary oat valve at various points in the string of pipe and heretofore in order to get a measurement of the depth of the Well bore,

some type of oat valves must be left out of the drill pipe string and the operator must take a chance without benefit of the float valve. In the present invention the valve can be opened by the device referred to above in connection with the measuring line and held open until the depth is ascertained, after which the removal of the device releases the valve and causes it to close.

With the preceding and other objects in view, the invention will be readily understood from a perusal of the following detailed description, 10 taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, and in said drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical and longitudinal sectional view of the pipe sections, showing the valve in 15 open position and illustrating one form of means for opening the valve by a depth measuring element,

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, showing the valve in open position and held in said posi- 20 tion by another form of depth-measuring means,

Figure 3 is an elevational view in vertical position of the valve opener and depth measuring means per se as shown in Figure 1,

Figure 4 is an elevational view of the valve 5 opener per Ase as shown in Figure 2,

Figure 5 is a plan View of a ring employed to prevent leakage around the tubular valve body.

Referring in detail to the drawing, and Wherein like parts will carry like indicating charac- 30 ters, the pipe section I is interiorly threaded at 2 and has also outward threads as at 3 for connection to a string of pipe 4 and a drill head 5 of well known construction. Likewise the valve 6, lugs 'l and 8 and spring 9 are merely shown 35 for the sake of making clear the invention, said parts being covered in said former patent referred to.

Disposed within the pipe section I is a tubular body I0 which is cut away as shown to provide an angular seating surface for the valve B--also covered in said former patent.

Experience has developed the fact that the valve body Ill tends to move or slip upwardly or downwardly of the interior of the pipe section 45 I, due to stress and strain in the operation of the appliance, and to prevent this leakage the outer periphery of the tubular valve body I0 is in thisv invention provided with an annularly grooved recess to receive the steel rings I I, one of said 50 rings being shown by itself in Figure 8. A gasket i2 or rubber packing element is placed around the tubular valve bodyl and the rings II are then put in position, one at the top and one at the bottom of the gasket or packing element I2. 55

'Ihese rings are made or cut in half sections and each section is slipped or forced upon the valve body in the recess and then welded as shown at Il, Figure 8. As a further aid iny holding the tubular valve body in position, an emular rim Il is formed on the interior of the section I and the tubular valve body III is reduced in diameter below the lowermost ring Il. This reduction in diameter of the valve body I thus provides an annular shoulder I5 and prevents the valve body from movement in one direction. The lower end of the drill stem Lprevents movement in the other direction. y

In order to provide for measuring the depth of the well bore or hole being drilled, one end of the tubular body ill is 'bevelled as shown at I8 to seat the annular lip Il ot a valve opener. As shown in Figure 4 this valve opener is hollow and v its lower end I8 is thickened to provide weight and stability. The body Isa is cylindrical to enable it to snugly engage for the most part with the inner walls of the tubular body I0. This permits the annular lip I1 to seat upon the bevelled portion i6 of the tubular body-clearly shown in Figure 4. One end of the valve opener is conical shaped having a neck I9 and each end is apertured as at 20 and 2| for the passage of a small cable or plumb bob line 23. One end of this line carries a plumb bob 24.

Another form of valve opener is shown in Figure '7. I'his form consists of a hollow body 25, open at both ends. One end of this form is reduced in diameter as at 26 and the opposite end is formed into an annular lip 21. y

'The operation of the valve opener is as iollows: 'Ihe valve opener shown in Figures 4 and 6 is seated on the plumb bob line 23 and heldin position by the plumb bob 24. It is then lowered into the drill pipe string. As the valve opener comes in contact with the valve 6, thel downward movement of the valve opener will shove the valve 6 aside in the position shown and the lip Il will be seated upon the bevelled surface I6 of the valve body lil, thus holding the valve open. The

plumb bob and plumb bob line then continue the upwardly until the bob 25 is received again in a the notch Zi-whereupon the valve opener is withdrawn, allowing the valve to again close.

In the form of valve opener shown in Figures 5 and 'l the valve opener 25 is dropped into the pipe string from the well rig or ground sur- `face and the impact forces the valve 8 to open position as shown in Figure 5, the lip 21 being supported upon the bevelled surface I6 of the valve body. The plumb bob line 23 and the bobl 24 are then lowered to ascertain the depth or bottom of thehole as before, and then withdrawn,

and the valve opener left in the pipel string. 'I'he valve opener is later removed when theA pipe string is pulled. by the removal oi' the upper pipe string section 4.

While the drawing and description `illustrate and describe a practical working 'embodiment of the invention, it is obvious that alterations and changes may be made therein, without departing from the spirit and intent thereof and within the scope and meaning or the appended claims.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In combination with a iloating valve stmoture for drill pipe lines in well boring, a device for engaging the interior of said valve structure to open said valve and for maintaining said valve in open position and for ascertaining the well depth, said device comprising a hollow cylindrical body, adapted to be seated within said valve structure, there being openings in both ends of said hollow cylindrical body, a cable or line passing through said body, a weight carried on one end of the cable or line, said cylindrical body adapted to be lowered into the well to open the valve of the valve structure and hold it open, the weighted end of the cable descending to ascertain the well depth and picking up said cylindrical body on ascent and thereby closing said valve.

2. In combination with a oating valve structure for drill pipe lines in well boring, a device for engaging the interior of said valve structure to open said valve and for maintaining said valve in open position and for ascertaining the well depth, said device comprising a hollow cylindrical body adapted to engage with and seat within said valve structure said body converging at one end to form a conical neck, an annular overhangy said neck and said thickened portion of the body,

a cable or line passing through said openings and through said body, and a weight attached to one end of the cable or line.

FRANK L. LE BUS.. 

